Obliterating Scale

[GarlR]

I'm still having issues with scale on my ficus. I used gentle insectidicial soap. I've picked them off by hand, and ran water over them to try to get the baby crawlers off. I've used dabs of alcohol.

I can't seem to get rid of them. Once my plants are repotted for a month, what systemic insectide should I use?

I don't want to kill my trees, but enough is enough. They are insidious.

 

[Beng]

Growth regulators tend to work better on scale as they interrupt it developing into adult.

 

[GarlR]

Growth regulators tend to work better on scale as they interrupt it developing into adult.

Any links to products? Is it systemic or it just work on contact?

I'd like to kill adults too.

 

[ABCarve]

I use Neem oil... seems to work great. Natural insecticide or so they say. Dyna-grow offers it.

 

[davetree]

I use dormant oil in the late winter and mid spring and it has taken care of my scale problem. The key is to apply in early spring before or at the "crawler" stage when the eggs have hatched. However on one of my elms I had to use a systemic because the oil didn't work. The systemic worked great but I try not to use that stuff unless I really have to. If you use oil make sure it is ok for your tree species.

 

[Beng]

Depends what kind of scale. Distance is one of the best current igr's its pricey though http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/distance-igr-p-1213.html. There's a product called Nygard on amazon for only 40. They both contain the same main ingredient of pyriproxyfen. You can mix it with a oil or a insecticide to kill the current population.

 

[Beng]

If its armored scale you won't be able to kill them till the crawlers emerge though.

 

[october]

The homemade solution works very well. It is cheap and non toxic and can be sprayed anytime.

The recipe is:
1-2 table spoons of dishwashing liquid like ivory
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Mix this in 1 gallon of water. Pour this in a spray bottle.

Now add 1 capful of rubbing alcohol to the spray bottle mixture. By capful, I mean the cap that comes with the alcohol bottle. Shake up the mixure. Spray all tree surfaces. Including the undersides of leaves. You might want to put something over the soil surface to prevent the stuff from flooding the soil.

Shower the tree off after 24 hours.

Another tip... Sometimes people defoliate the tree, depending on the species, then spray. Also, picking them off before you spray is a good idea.

Scale is tough to eradicate permanently. It tends to come back with each Spring. However, if you spray at the right times and keep a close eye on your trees. You can keep scale in check.

Rob

 

[GarlR]

I just want to use a systemic. I've used the natural insecticides. It doesn't work. They seem to go away, then I start seeing honeydew again.

I believe they are armored scale. They are black.

They kinda resemble these below, but they aren't moist.

http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/learning/resources/Entomology/internalAnatomy/imagePages/scale.html

I'm tired of spraying. I just want to nuke the little B's and be done with it.

 

[jk_lewis]

Since you seem unable to control them chemically, it may be you have an environmental problem. Are you keeping them in BRIGHT light at least 13 hours a day? Do you avoid watering the leaves when you water your trees? Do the trees get a regular breeze blowing across them, as from an oscillating fan? Are the tree canopies far enough apart so they do not touch and air can circulate freely? Are there any other plants nearby? Are the tabletops upon which they stand clean (no soil or old leaves lying around)?

 

[Poink88]

After battling with scale, aphids, caterpillars (various kind), etc. (and losing) I too broke down and used Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub. No more problems on the treated plants (crabapple and quince). Best of all, it is a once a year application.

This season, I might use it on other trees as the need arises, so far it looks like I can control those w/o it.

 

[jkd2572]

I use the bayer advance tree and shrub as well. Works great. I mix it in a two gallon sprayer and bomb everything with the first sign of trouble. I prefer that Japanese nurseries methods of bombing the garden offensively.

 

[coh]

I think I mentioned in another thread that I also used the Bayer to eliminate scale from a couple of ficus. Took a couple of weeks but they're gone.

 

[sdavis]

scale Rx

Try the systemic neonicotinoid "imidacloprid."

 

[coh]

Imidacloprid is the active ingredient in the Bayer product.

 

[Beng]

Bayers a good one but even better is Safari 20SG, you don't have to wait for the roots to take it up. Bayer can take a month or more to get from the roots to the leaves and leaves can't absorb it. With Safari you spray it on the whole tree once and it travels throughout the foliage, can even penetrate bark. If you fear spraying it on the needles or foliage you can just spray it on the trunk of the tree. Esp useful on pines where scale sometimes hides under the sheath holding the needle.

Pricey though. http://www.amazon.com/Valent-USA-Co...1363969338&sr=8-5&keywords=safari+insecticide

 

[GarlR]

I was going to try to keep picking them off and all the other methods...but no dice. I literally just picked off 15 of them covered in honeydew leaves.

Worse off, my maple I bought, I thought it was free of pests. I had it off to the side while I observed it and waited for it to have leaves. It has been fine, all of a sudden there is a TON, and i mean a TON of aphids. I think they are aphids. They are leaving honeydew, and some of them have wings. I just blasted them with my natural insecticidal soap to get things started.

The safari 20sg is a bit expensive....

I may order the bayer. I'm tired of these dang things. They are causing me a lot of stress.

Edit: I ordered the Bayer. I am going to give it to all my plants just in case.

A side note, I replanted all my plants for the first time ever, and they survived the defoliation, root pruning, and repotting with new growth now!!

Another Edit: How do I know how much to add? It says measure the trunk at chest height and multiply that by a number, and that is how much you add....but...yeah...you may see my problem. I guess just measure my trunks, and do the same thing, then see how many drops/teaspoons/etc it is to add?

 

[Beng]

I was going to try to keep picking them off and all the other methods...but no dice. I literally just picked off 15 of them covered in honeydew leaves.

Worse off, my maple I bought, I thought it was free of pests. I had it off to the side while I observed it and waited for it to have leaves. It has been fine, all of a sudden there is a TON, and i mean a TON of aphids. I think they are aphids. They are leaving honeydew, and some of them have wings. I just blasted them with my natural insecticidal soap to get things started.

The safari 20sg is a bit expensive....

I may order the bayer. I'm tired of these dang things. They are causing me a lot of stress.

Edit: I ordered the Bayer. I am going to give it to all my plants just in case.

A side note, I replanted all my plants for the first time ever, and they survived the defoliation, root pruning, and repotting with new growth now!!

Another Edit: How do I know how much to add? It says measure the trunk at chest height and multiply that by a number, and that is how much you add....but...yeah...you may see my problem. I guess just measure my trunks, and do the same thing, then see how many drops/teaspoons/etc it is to add?

Which Imidacloprid are you using Merit 75WP product http://www.amazon.com/Merit-Systemi...?ie=UTF8&qid=1365247321&sr=8-1&keywords=merit or the bayer http://www.amazon.com/BAYER-ADVANCE...&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=bayer+tree+and+shrub ? For merit you use the pinch sized measuring scoop per 2 gallon watering can. I'm not sure for the bayer as I haven't used it. Sounds like your using the bayer so hopefully someone else here knows the answer for you.

There should be a measurement on the back of the can right?

 

[GarlR]

Actually I bought the link below, which what you posted is a lot better price, as it is only $3 more. So, I just canceled mine and reordered what you posted. I think my insecticidal soap killed the aphids?? They are still attached. If they are dead will they still stay attached or fall off?


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012YZVJS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Beng]

It's good stuff should take care of the scale in time. I used it for the last few years as a preventative root drench till i switched to safari this year as a spray. I still use merit in early spring on all my trees except pine and silverberry as ive heard it has a negative effect on mycorrhizae. It won't kill scale quickly though unless the crawlers are active. Best to treat year round spring to fall if you have a plant that's suspect.